St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-06-18
THE SOLAR ECLIPSE.
FINE OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED
THE ASTRONOMERS.
The Line of Totally Will Pass Over Europe
and Moscow Will be Splendid Point
for Making observation-disclosures
OF the Scientists-Interesting Problems.

The total eclipse of the sun, which
will occur on August 10 next, though
only OF average duration, will offer ex
ceptional opportunities for observation
from the circumstance that the track OF
the moons shadow will be almost entirely
continental one, in striking contrast tc
the eclipses of the last four years, in all
OF which the shadow has followed q
course which has been principally over
the great oceans. The eclipse, says M
tire, an English scientific periodical, is
technically partial one for the principal
part of Great Britain, but as it will be
nearly over before sunrise, it will
practically not be visible here. The
middle phase will have been reached
at sunrise, for places little to the west
OF Berlin; and this city lying within the
path of the shadow, it is just possible
that it may be favored with sight of
the phenomena of totality, though with
sun close to the horizon; for the sun
will be largely obscured as it RISES and
will not be quite 80 high at the end of
the total phase From Prussia the
shadow track passes into Russia, and
the central line does not leave the bor
ders of the Russian empire until it
reaches East longitude 1922 1t then
crosses Manchuria and the Sea of Japan,
and cuts the principal island of the
Japanese group little to the north of
the capital. The final portion of its
course lies over the North Pacific ocean,
and except for the little island of Rico
de Orc, it does not touch land again.
The path of totality not only lies
mainly over the land, but large number
OF important towns are either actually in
cluded within or lie very close to its
limits. Konigsberg lies just outside.
kovno. wilma and Vitebsk. are we'll
within the shadow; Wilma being nearly
on the central line. At these towns,
however, the sun will still be too low for
them to afford desirable stations for OBJ
servations, and probably the neighbor-
hood of Moscow will be the nearest dis
trict which will be occupied by astrono-
mers.
At Moscow itself the eclipse will not
tie quite total, since that city lies just
outside the southern edge of the shadow
track, but three lines of railway radiat-
ing from Moscow will afford easy access
to places actually on the central line.
The most westerly of these three rail
ways is that which unites St. Petersburg
with the older capital, and which passes
through Twer. Twer is nearly on the
central line, but little to the north of
it. The sun will have an elevation of
about 100 in this neighborhood,
and the maximum duration of to-
tality is not quite two minutes and a
half. At Twer itself it will be only 1874
seconds.
Three parties, two German and one
French, will take up positions within
The government of which Twer is the |
capital. The second line runs from
Moscow to Vologda, passing through |
)aroslavi, which lies within but near the |
edge of the shadow. Petrowsk on this |
railway is very near the central line, and |
here the sun will be % higher than near
liver, and the duration 152 seconds. The
bird line runs to Kineshma, which is
Itself very near the central line. Here
he sun Will be about 200 high, and the
otal eclipse ON the central line will last
SO seconds. 1t will not, however, be
lifficult to proceed to yet more favora-
lie positions further east From Mos
;ow there is line through Mini Nov
,orod to KaZan. and service of river
teamers runs thence up the River Kama
o Perm. Penn lies to the south of the
central line, but the totality lasts
here 173 seconds, whilst the sun is 2So
zig at mid eclipse. If the weather should
re favorable, Perm would be, therefore,
very suitable station for those astrono-
ners who can spare the time to journey
o far; for others the neighborhoods of
'etrowsk and KiIeshma will afford read
ly accessible sites. Professor Bredichin,
irector of the Moscow Observatory, has
is own private observatory near
Aineshma, and very close to the central
inc; and he has generously offered the
of his house to the Royal As
Societyfor twoEnglish astron-
mers, an offer which has been gratefully
ccepted by the society, on behalf of DR..
Copeland and the Rev. S. J. Perry. Prof.
!. A. Young also will have his station
ere, and q strong party of Italian and
,nglish astronomers, consisting of Pro-
essors Tacchini and Ricco, and Messrs.
Common and Turner, will be located at
o great distance away, in the neighbor-
1g government of Vladimir.
The eclipse being visible In Europe
nd from places so readily accessible from
'ngland, it is not probable, therefore, that
ny English astronomers will 60 so far
asst as Siberia. 1t may be hoped that
.ussian astronomers will make good this
eject, especially as four of the princi-
al towns of Siberia lie on the shadow
,ack-Tobolsk, Tomsk, Krasnoiarsk and
rkutsk; the first and third being close
, the central line, and the sun being
,lipsed when nearly on the meridian at
-kutsk. A series of Siberian stations
the more to be desired since this
,lipse offers an exceptionally favorable
opportunity for concerted scheme
{ observation. The path of totality
,incides in most remarkable manner
it'll the lines of the Russian overland
.legraph, so that it will be perfectly
ossible to select series Of stations in
Geographic communication with each
her, and extending over line of 100
sgrees of longitude, with an extreme
Ifference in the absolute time Of totality
! more than an hour and half. 1t ap-
ears, Professor Todd learns from letter
ON DR.. S. Won Glasenapp, that the Rus